Monday, April 5, 2010

Ara and Spirit

I read many blogs. I subscribe to over a hundred and I check Google Reader several times a day to keep up with them. My tastes vary, the primary requirement for me to subscribe to a blog is that it keeps my interest.

Some blogs keep my interest because of the subject of the content. Fire, police, EMS, dispatch, aviation related blogs tend to fall into this category.

Others hold my attention because they are so well written, even though I may not usually be interested in the subject, their narrative grabs my interest. Several blogs I follow are funny, others are photographic in nature and I find the images interesting.

One blog that I follow is called The Oasis Of My Soul. It is written by a man named Ara Gureghian. It chronicles his life on the road with his dog Spirit. Ara has been on the road more or less for five years or so. He appears to be nomadic in nature and when he lost his son a while back, felt compelled to leave behind many of the things in life that we usually hold dear and hit the road. He travels riding a BMW motorcycle with a sidecar. Ara usually drives, Spirit usually rides in the sidehack.

Ara spends a lot of time in the wide open west. Places and concepts near and dear to my heart. Ara is a talented photographer and captures amazing images of the things that he sees. He writes of his experiences and of his thoughts as the miles and hours pass by. Words that inspire thought and express emotion in a way far different than mine.

Recently, Ara has started shooting video. Last week, Ara posted a video that he shot in South Texas, where he and Spirit have wintered the past few years.

The vast openness of the Chihuahuan desert, the solitude of the dirt road and the trusting looks that Spirit gives Ara, all combined to impress upon me the beauty and diversity of our world and make me appreciate it all that much more.

I would not enjoy living as Ara does. I enjoy my creature comforts too much and I do much better in life while in the presence of The Saint That I Am Married To. However, there is a part of Ara, the nomadic lifestyle, the quest for the open road, the loyalty of his companion, that appeals to most of us. For me, this video visualizes the commonality of our lives and causes me to appreciate the differences.

Some day, our paths will cross. I will introduce myself to him and to Spirit. Hopefully, the part of our lives that we have in common will make for an interesting conversation. And, hopefully, Spirit will not be disappointed.

Dear Captain Schmoe,I come to your blog to read your posts, and then to read the wonderful people you have selected for your blogroll. Oasis of my Soul is one of those I particularly enjoy.

Thanks to Ara and Spirit, and to Joe Schmoe for the introduction. The desert is an amazing place. To me, time does not stand still there, but rather collects in its spaces. It contains everything-including perspective.

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About Me

My name is Schmoe, I am a retired Fire Captain from a "kind of big" municipal fire department that protects a wide range of risks. I am a little past fifty and spent thirty years on the job. I have been happily married for almost as long and have two young adult sons.